No Bravery
by supertighthugs
Summary: Tonks has it rough. Quick little story on how much it sucks to be an auror. This is about how she works with the ministry and since theres been so many death eater attacks she gets higher ranking in the ministry and starts training newbie aurors


There are children standing here,  
Arms outstretched into the sky,  
Tears drying on their face.  
He has been here.  
Brothers lie in shallow graves.  
Fathers lost without a trace.  
A nation blind to their disgrace,  
Since he's been here.  
And I see no bravery,  
No bravery in your eyes anymore.  
Only sadness.  
Houses burnt beyond repair.  
The smell of death is in the air.  
A woman weeping in despair says,  
He has been here.  
Tracer lighting up the sky.  
It's another families' turn to die.  
A child afraid to even cry out says,  
He has been here.  
And I see no bravery,  
No bravery in your eyes anymore.  
Only sadness.  
There are children standing here,  
Arms outstretched into the sky,  
But no one asks the question why,  
He has been here.  
Old men kneel and accept their fate.  
Wives and daughters cut and raped.  
A generation drenched in hate.  
Yes, he has been here.  
And I see no bravery,  
No bravery in your eyes anymore.  
Only sadness. James Blunt

Tonks apperated to the spot. Seven other apperation cracks followed. Tonks caught her breath. She heard a man shout out orders. They were mumbled and all slurred together. She couldn't peal her eyes of the sight that stayed in front of her. There was a reaking stench in the air that made each breath she took revolting. She watched slowly as people picked through the wreckage. A cluster of five houses sat on a hill. No not five houses. Five frames. The sky was filled with smoke and floating ash. She could feel her skin slowly cover with the remnants of a life before. Soot and ash covered the ground like snow.   
"Tonks!" A voice said pulling her out of her stupor. Tonks looked up. "What do we do?" She blinked. The boy who was asking her was one of her trainees. She had a flock of seven. They were all fresh out of school. Tonks looked at their horrified faces. They had been exhausted before the call, now they were at whole new level of emotions. They hadn't seen destruction like this before. All their child faces were empty and frightened.  
Tonks shook her head forcing her brain to think. Her mouth was dry and unable to form words. She blinked at them and remembered that she was the senior officer. It was a ridiculous concept that she an auror of twenty three was a veteran, that she was training new recruits. This wouldn't have happened two years prior. So many of the old aurors had been killed, left, retreated, retired, died. Tonks felt sick in the very pit of her stomach.

"Look for survivors." She said hollowly.  
"There cant be, no one survived that." Said one of her boys. Tonks took in a sharp breath.

"LOOK anyway." She hissed. Tonks ran a hair through her hair. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the disaster. Tonks followed her men.  
The smoke was unbearable. She conjured a face mask for herself and her trainees. Tonks heard a scream and looked to her left. A little girl was screeching. She had her arms outstretched her brown hair spilling over her shoulders. Tonks was deceived for a moment. She remembered the girls face, it was like her own. Tonks remembered that scream from when her mother died. She knew that face. Tonks blinked for a moment and made her way through the ash and rubble over to the girl. Dwallish was holding her back. The girl was covered by soot and ash. Tonks walked over and picked the girl up. The child burst into tears and held onto Tonks neck tightly. Tonks balanced the girl on her hip. She gave Dwallish a sharp and silent look and he left the two alone. Tonks walked back to where she apperated from. The girl was sobbing uncontrollably. Tonks didn't comfort her but held her solidly. Tonks wanted to join in crying, but she had no tears left. Tonks walked back to the crowd barricaded behind a orange ribbon. A woman pushed through the crowd. Her face was alabaster white. Tonks smiled grimly and passed the girl to her. The woman burst into tears and held the child tightly. The two shook in unison. Tonks swallowed hard.

Hours went by and the sky turned to an orange haze. Tonks tripped over a shard of charred wood. She caught herself on a beam that was still standing. She swore loudly as she pulled away from the support, bleeding yet again and filthy. The wood was finally cooling and was sharper than knives. Tonks was black from the sifting air and kicked up dust. The dust was covering everything. Everything cut, or snagged her. She had scratches and blisters burns. Tonks swallowed and made her way through the filth. One of the trainees was sitting on a pile of rubble holding his head in his hand. Tonks couldn't hear him sob but he was quaking. She tripped again and stumbled forward. Tonks looked down and kicked the board that had been in the way.

She regretted it instantly. Not from the pang that ran up her leg but from what lay under the wood. Tonks stared for a long moment. Unable to move. It was an image that was seared into her brain. At later dates it would haunt her dreams. She coughed hard the soot incasing her lungs. She moved her foot away worrying that the chard remains would reach out and grab her.

"TONKS! Come in we don't need you anymore!" Someone shouted. She mechanically looked up. Aurors were first responders. They didn't deal with the clean up, with the closure of the disasters. Tonks saw swarms of ministry personal in white suits start to attack the mess. "Tonks come on." One of her superiors said. She followed the other retreating Aurors.

"Where are we going to stay?" She over heard.  
"I don't know,"

"It could have been us in there."

"yeah."

Tonks ran a soot covered hand through her hair and looked up at the sky asking why. She let out a bitter laugh seeing an answer. The mark flew through the air still hours later. Tonks had no reaction to the mark. She should be angry, should feel rage. But she just stared at it. Tonks pulled her eyes away and walked through the rubble. Some of the new aurors were standing around something. Tonks wasn't sure she wanted to know what that was. However she had a responsibility to the trainees. She peeked her head over the crowd. She closed her eyes and bit her tongue.

"No survivors."

"That could have been us."

"Where are we going to stay now." Tonks gritted her teeth and stared at the board. Only two auroring teams had been on call last night. Her trainees had just come back from a forty eight hour mission helping protect muggles.

The ministry had been recruiting aurors left and right. The tests had been made easier. The ministry was allowing, had been allowing quantity over quality. Tonks put her hand on one of the boys shoulders. She pushed him gently away. The others followed.

What lay in the burns and rubble was a glistening wooden sign. It read. Auror Training Initiative: Building three, Dormitories.


End file.
